Agfa Expands Inkjet Technologies with New Proofing and Printing Capabilities

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Press release from the issuing company

Chicago, Ill (Print '05 – Booth #7900—Prepress Hall / Booth #7559—Wide Format Pavilion) – September 9, 2005 – Agfa announced today that Print '05 attendees will be able to see the newest :Grand Sherpa Universal AM systems in the Wide Format Pavilion (booth #7559). Additionally, Print '05 marks the first time Agfa is showing the :Grand Sherpa Universal AM and The :Dotrix digital press in North America.
In a series of recent announcements, Agfa has demonstrated a commitment to inkjet technology. Through research, partnerships and product development, Agfa believes that digital inkjet printing holds the keys to the future. With several new flatbed models and new additions to the :Grand Sherpa Universal line of printers, new inks, printheads, media, and more, Agfa has gone to great lengths to satisfy a growing segment in digital output.
Agfa's commitment to digital inkjet printing systems started coming together when Dotrix and its high-speed digital printing system, the.factory, were purchased and brought into the Agfa product assortment. At Print '05, The :Dotrix press is being shown by Agfa for the first time in North America. Driven by Agfa's :ApogeeX workflow, The :Dotrix is a true high-speed inkjet press for industrial printing applications. It is a full-color press designed for profitable short- and medium-run print production, cost-effective sampling, customized printing, on-press proofing and variable-data printing.
More recently, Agfa, continuing in the tradition of providing a variety of solutions, launched three new wide-format printing systems. Two of them are flatbed systems – the :Anapurna 100, which can quickly switch to roll-to-roll, and the :M-Press – and the :Grand Sherpa Universal AM is the newest in the Universal line, which uses Agfa's new line of mild solvent inks.
Agfa has developed or co-developed with partners, new systems, ink heads and inks that offer customers the ability to produce larger-than-life, high-quality printed materials for their clients.
Agfa's leadership position in inkjet goes back many years when Agfa pioneered contract quality inkjet proofing. Agfa continues to perfect the company's proofing portfolio by offering new remote proofing features within :ApogeeX. Agfa's workflow, :ApogeeX, now offers the Remote Proofing Controller, which gives printers the ability to produce contract proofs at remote locations with the security of multi-site quality control.
For the Bemis Company of Minneapolis, MN (USA), :ApogeeX has proven to be invaluable for Bemis for reproducing PMS colors on their :Sherpa 24m proofing system. ":ApogeeX and the :Sherpa 24m work enormously well job after job and get us within the color tolerances we need on every job," said Jeff Ross, color systems manager, Bemis.
"There couldn't be a better time to enter the multi-billion dollar inkjet market," said Denis Griff, director, Sign, Screen and Display, North America. "When you combine more than 100 of years of imaging experience and the inkjet expertise Agfa has, it is easy to be optimistic about our abilities to provide high quality products and services for our customers. Each product and service in our inkjet portfolio represents a breakthrough, offering customers new ways of making their companies more appealing to their customers."
Many of the proofing and printing systems that Agfa has developed over the years are on display both on the main Agfa booth (#7900, prepress hall) and in the Wide Format Pavilion (booth #7559).